as in to tease
to attack repeatedly with mean put-downs or insults
the principal reminded the student athletes that taunting their opponents was not showing good sportsmanship
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in jeer
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of taunt
Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2026
That’s when the official threw the flag for taunting.
—Saad Yousuf, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2026
Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Dec. 2025
Another protective moment came one year on the anniversary, when Jackie was walking young John home from school, and a classmate began chanting taunts about his dead father.
—Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 26 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for taunt
Verb
The emotions twice resulted in technical fouls against Brentwood players for taunting.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2026
That’s when the official threw the flag for taunting.
—Saad Yousuf, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2026
Noun
The taunt immediately caught Ballerini’s attention.
—Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Dec. 2025
Another protective moment came one year on the anniversary, when Jackie was walking young John home from school, and a classmate began chanting taunts about his dead father.
—Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 26 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for taunt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taunt
Verb
-
The reggaeton icon briefly teased his performance in a trailer released by Apple Music in January 2026.—
Bailey Bujnosek,
InStyle,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Trump teased his non-prediction in a post on TikTok last week.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
There was a second of stunned silence before the room erupted in boos and jeers.—
JJ Holmes,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 Feb. 2026
-
During the opening ceremony, Team USA athletes were cheered on, but jeers and whistles could be heard as Vance and his wife, second lady Usha Vance, were shown on the stadium screens, waving American flags from the tribune.—
Fernanda Figueroa,
Fortune,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
James Van Der Beek, a heartthrob who starred in coming-of-age dramas at the dawn of the new millennium, shooting to fame playing the titular character in Dawson’s Creek and in later years mocking his own hunky persona, has died.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Anthropic used Super Bowl ads to mock OpenAI’s plans to inject advertisements into ChatGPT conversations, sparking debate about chatbots delivering ads.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Sure, the scatalogical title and prurient lyrics reflected the band's age — Armstrong was fresh out of his teens at the time — but its punk sneer was rooted in sophisticated songcraft.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Feb. 2026
-
The obsequiousness, the sneers, the boasting, the vacant generalities, and the hand-waving bespeak fear of departing from the Trumpian orthodoxy of the moment.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The final insult from State Farm came just hours after Karen Powers died, early on the morning of August 2, 2023.—
J.C. Hallman,
Oklahoman,
10 Feb. 2026
-
In an appearance on Fox News, the Trump-supporting singer bashed the choice of Bunny, saying the performance was an insult to the MAGA movement.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Leno later said he felt humiliated by Kimmel’s jibe.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
19 Sep. 2025
-
The foolishness of the governor’s gibe was underscored by the progressive, staunchly anti-Trump Democratic mayor of San Jose.—
U T Editorial Board,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
No quips or inspirational quotes.—
Evan Grant,
Dallas Morning News,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Still another Arctic blast with snow and a deep freeze just arrived, along with another round of quips directed at meteorologists and scientists, challenging them to explain again how climate change works.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Meanwhile, some on Wall Street continue to warn of complacency in financial markets amid affronts to the Fed’s independence, persistent nerves about a bubble and increasingly fraught geopolitics.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
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But now, unsurprisingly, politics are part of that debate, so the mere fact that Bad Bunny is brown and Latino and sings in Spanish is seen by some as an affront to the right.—
Lorraine Ali,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Taunt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taunt. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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